I Won't Clear Up the Misunderstanding. I Don't Mind Being the Villainess. - Chapter 13

(I should be safe from Karvell as long as I don’t go near the lake.)
The plot’s totally off-script now, but whatever. In for a penny, in for a pound, I guess.
Karvell had been polite to Erika right from their first meeting. It’d be great if he could become my ally as the steward. I processed all of this in a matter of seconds before turning back to Kevin.
“Then I’ll do that. And would it be alright if I fired the maid assigned to me and hired a new one?”
“Fine. And if you’re going to play the Duchess, buy a new dress—that one’s hideous. Got it?”
“The dress?”
“Yeah, I’ve always thought it looked terrible on you.”
I pinched the hem of my dark red dress. It was a hand-me-down from my half-sister, Rose. It looked fancy and expensive at first glance, but it had stains and frays everywhere—the exact reasons Rose stopped wearing it.
Having been treated like a servant, I didn’t own any dresses. None were even prepared for the wedding. I knew it didn’t suit me, but I didn’t have anything else. My shoes don’t even properly fit, for that matter. The clothes Erika had worn back at the Count’s house were probably tossed out as garbage.
The wedding dress set, undergarments, and nightwear for the first night were provided by the Ducal house. But those were just Rose’s old things, reused. So, getting clothes that actually fit me would be a huge relief.
In the original story, Kevin took Erika to a boutique himself and bought her dresses, so that’s another change in the timeline.
(Honestly, choosing them myself will be much easier.)
The episode where Kevin unconsciously dressed Erika in a style similar to his late wife, Lily, would probably disappear, but I was fine with that. In fact, it was preferable.
“Besides the dresses, can I charge undergarments, shoes, and cosmetics to the Ducal household account as well?”
“Do as you like.”
I figured I was being too pushy, but Kevin agreed instantly. All he’s said is “Do as you like,” which means I can leverage his total lack of interest without holding back.
“Alright, then regarding payment…”
“Ask Holger for the finer details. Also, I have something to tell you.”
“To me?”
What could he possibly have to say? Maybe that he has no intention of loving me. Honestly, I’d throw a party if he said that.
“Yes… This is a matter between husband and wife. You are not to follow us.”
Kevin snapped the words at Leo, grabbed my wrist, and tried to drag me into his study. Yes, this entire conversation had been happening in the corridor.
We didn’t see anyone else in the long hall, but that didn’t mean it was empty. After all, servants had been peering at me during my earlier exchange with Lady Marbella in the garden. I braced myself for the rumors. Any normal person would think the Duke was crazy, but I wasn’t going to hold my breath for common sense.
“…I understand.”
Leo nodded obediently. Was the pain on his face because his father, Kevin, didn’t even call him by name? Honestly, he had too many reasons to be hurt to pick just one. Kevin didn’t react to his son’s reply and kept pulling me towards the room. I spoke to Leo instead; I didn’t want to leave him standing out here indefinitely.
“Why don’t you go back to your room and have some sweets.”
“…Understood.”
There was a difference in his politeness between Kevin and me, but the fact that he agreed so readily was a start. As I was half-dragged toward the study, I saw Leo walking away, then disappearing completely as the door shut.
I was alone with Kevin inside. I was overwhelmed with revulsion and terror. I needed to get out of here safely. To do that, I had to avoid being swept up in his pace.
“Your Grace, what is it that you wished to discuss?”
I spoke immediately to seize control of the conversation. I could feel the thickness of the door at my back. My hand was resting subtly on the doorknob. It was my escape route if I sensed danger. Perhaps sensing my caution, Kevin smirked, curling the corner of his mouth in derision.
“Are you afraid of me?”
“What is it that you wished to discuss?”
I repeated my question, reversing the dynamic from before. I wouldn’t say “Yes” or “No”; I had a feeling he’d use it as an excuse to mess with me.
“Is the matter you wished to discuss perhaps the reason you took a woman like me as your wife?”
As I said it, Kevin’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. It wasn’t strange or unusual for Erika to ask that, after all.
“…Yes. I do not regard you as my wife. Never get the wrong idea.”
“Understood. I shall fulfil my duties as Duchess in name only.”
I bowed deeply in front of the door. When I looked up, Kevin was wearing an expression that was impossible to read. Yet, I had given him the exact answer he wanted. Did he expect me to be surprised, upset, or unhappy?
(Despite never showing a shred of respect, let alone affection, since I stepped foot in this manor?)
The question burned in my chest, but then I remembered the sad look Leo had just shown. The child was definitely sad when we left him. But that’s because Kevin is his father, and Leo is his son. That’s why he still looked up to his father, even when he was treated carelessly and without respect. But I was different.
(A marriage in name only means we are, in the end, still strangers.)
This man has no idea. He might not even realize he doesn’t know.
“Then, to make sure there are no misunderstandings, let’s keep our bedchambers completely separate. I’ll continue to sleep only in my own room.”
“…What?”
“Well, it wouldn’t be fair to your late wife, would it? Unless, of course, Your Grace wants me as a woman—then that would be another matter entirely.”
I told him this with a tiny, challenging smile. The next second, he slammed me back against the door. My back hurts. But this time, my lips were not seized. Of course not. If he were to do that here, he would be the one to betray his own feelings for Lily.
“You little viper. Don’t push your luck. That’s never going to happen.”
He spat the words out, let go of me, and clicked his tongue before turning his back. I inwardly thought, I’ve won. With this move, Kevin couldn’t lay a hand on me. At least, not as long as he harbored such strong lingering feelings for his late wife.
I shifted my gaze to the study wall. A beautiful, yet somehow fragile-looking woman smiled from the portrait.